Ugh, I’ve been waiting most of the day for Details Mag to release their cover story on Chris Hemsworth. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this interview is kind of letdown. Chris is nice enough, but it’s clear throughout the piece that Chris thinks of his Thor promotion (and work) as a complete chore. He’s trying not to be an a—hole about it, but he’s totally over Marvel and all of it. You can read the full interview here, and here are some highlights:

His breakout on Home and Away. “We shot 20 scenes a day, five shows a week,” Hemsworth says of the series that would serve as his lucky break, his acting school, and his personal crucible of endurance. “Three and a half years playing the same character can be sort of mind-numbing,” Hemsworth says with a wincing grin. “My character was in a fire, a cyclone, a helicopter crash, a plane crash. I was hoping for a big, dramatic death.”

Natalie Portman on CH. “He’s like a person you actually want to hang out with,” she says. “A full human…There’s no scoop, except he’s rad. The scoop is he’s just great at everything.” (Portman adds that she’d like to see him stretch out and do a comedy: “When we were doing the first Thor, we would joke that we should remake The Way We Were. Little Jewish girl, a smoking-hot Gentile. If we work together again, that’s clearly our project.”)

His rapid ascent to the A-list: “Maybe I’m asking myself the same question you’re asking. I’ve worked my ass off over the years, but I can’t help but see that, relatively speaking, it all has been rather quick.”

Talking about himself: “It’s funny,” he says on the subject of himself as subject. “No other job forces you to think about yourself this much. That’s a scary thing, because before you know it, it’s all pointed inward. You’re taught to think, ‘Okay, what do I want out of this scene? How am I feeling here?’ Then it’s like, ‘Awww, f–k off, I.’ You start to hate I! The biggest thing is, you worry about being boring,.”

He doesn’t even want to share with directors: “I worked with plenty of directors who are like, ‘Yeah, but what’s in there? Tell me about that time . . .’ And I’m like, ‘Listen, there is something in there, but I ain’t gonna tell you and exploit it.’ I hold that stuff pretty close. We all like the drama of the wildest personalities, but I’m not going to invent something to wallow in just to make me sound interesting.”

Research for Cyber: “I did two months of computer lessons before we started shooting,” he says. “This computer teacher with a Ph.D. from UCLA would come into this little room and give me lessons in Unix commands and whatnot. It was exciting the first day or two, then I was like, ‘Oh no, this is why I didn’t take a desk job.’ Drank more coffee than I’d ever had in my life, because it was literally putting me to sleep. I think I enjoyed sword fighting more than computer lessons,” he says. The nerd training eventually paid off. “I learned to type, for one,” Hemsworth says. “I can’t say I can hack into your Swiss bank account, but I can pretend to. There’s an intelligence to this character that’s certainly beyond my intelligence and some of the characters I’ve played before. They can make me smarter in the editing.”

Working on CGI-heavy films versus dramas: “These days, even 5-year-olds will look at something and say, ‘Ah, the CGI’s crap—I’m not watching this.’” But once he did try a character-driven role, he thought: “Oh my God, what a relief.” Hemsworth relished the change of pace and the new challenges. “It was incredibly satisfying to be on a much more intimate set, focused on the truth of a scene, as opposed to ‘Now swing on a wire and smash the bad guy with your ax,’” he says. “The fear, the newness,” Hemsworth continues, snapping his fingers excitedly, “is what keeps you on your game.”

His wedding anniversary: “Uh, I should know the answer to this. There’s a bit of a dispute . . .” Long story somewhat shortened: A little group of friends and family descended on Sumba, and it was such a laid-back couple of weeks that no one can agree on when the actual ceremony took place. The ring his wife gave him is engraved with a date, but Hemsworth is pretty sure it was a couple of days later. “So yeah, answer about the date of my wedding: somewhere in December.”

Learning how to say no: “You spend so long having your hand up, saying, ‘C’mon, c’mon—pick me!,’ there’s a fear of saying no to things. It’s bred into you. I get sh-t sent to me and I think, ‘I should probably just take this.’ But now I try to say, ‘Hold on—do you even like it?’ I do have a little control now. That’s the transition—I’m not at the mercy of someone else so much. And that is just as scary as it is liberating.”

As much as I want to paint Chris as some dumb meathead, he’s not. He’s not, like, Benedict Cumberbatch-level eloquent or self-aware, but Chris is a smart enough guy and he’s making some interesting choices for his career and for how he presents himself. I buy that he doesn’t want to spend an interview being psychoanalyzed and prodded, and I think he handles that aversion very well. What he needs to work on: stop making it sound like such a f—king chore to merely promote the Thor franchise. We get it, it’s silly and it’s not a beloved character drama. But still, you signed on to it and they’re paying you so much money and no one is holding a gun to your head. Enough. Just show up and smile.

Where do I begin…I was not holding my breath for HAMsworth acting (I love ham – and bacon – so I am allowing this). I hate cars. My BFF (who races cars and just finished 2nd nationally in autocross) told me I will be bored by all the driving stuff.

LOVED THE MOVIE
I was bored for about 6 min in the middle, which had nothing to do w driving. i was on the edge of my seat the rest of the time incl all the driving. this didnt feel like a car movie.

Bruhl was FANTASTIC and Hems actually ACTED and did things besides just looking good! (though EFF he looked good) and i cried 4 times.

I was SO into the racing moments. it was probably the first movie i have ever seen where i was so aware of the editing skills. W/O it i’d have been asleep but with it, it’s the most exciting movie i’ve seen this year. BREATHTAKING.

Oh yay. I am so glad you liked it. I will go one further, I thought CHem did such a good job I stopped looking at him and just watched him. *SPOILERS* I was surprised/interested at how unsexy the sex is portrayed, animalistic in manner and motive, propelled by demons rather than lust – at least initially.

Bruhl was brilliant. As I have said, my hierarchy is 1) directing 2) story 3) editing 4) acting and I thought the acting was fantastic.

I don’t see the attractiveness in this guy (ducks flying tomatoes) but he comes across more intelligent then what I pegged him to be.
That being said, if it wasn’t for Thor, he would not have the freedom to say no to projects or be offered the projects he is being offered now. He doesn’t have to be in love with role but he could offer up something to the effect, I will be grateful for this role as it opened up a lot of opportunities for me that other actors would kill for.

I don’t like this guy. But he really needs to be careful to not bite the hand that feeds him. The “serious” film he tried, Rush, ended up flopping. So he needs to ensure he pulls his weight in promoting the film’s that actually do well. If he doesn’t then he will quickly find himself irrelevant.

It got some good reviews generally and I only saw or two negative comments re Chris although his co-star did seem to be getting the bulk of the nods for acting.
Apparently Assange has flopped as well because it has not met its expected audience figures for its opening day and they use that as a predictive figure. I do not understand myself how they arrive at those figures. But Assange has not gone down that well with critics out side of the UK. At least most of the Rush reviews were positive

@Mia4S, Rush didn’t flop horribly at all! So far, it has made over $70 million at the worldwide box office off a $38 million budget. It still made a $32 million profit which is not spectacular but perfectly solid. The film has done very well for a movie based around something that wouldn’t appeal to the majority of the US market and with an R rating too. It’s also received critical acclaim so the film is not a flop by any means.

That said, I went to see the film and while I loved it, Chris Hemsworth, was only okay in it. He was charismatic enough but never gripped me in the way that Daniel Bruhl did or the supporting cast (and I include Olivia Wilde there who I thought was really good in a small role…why do so many of you dislike her on this site?). So yeah he shouldn’t get too big for his boots just yet.

You are assuming that the distributors gets 100% of that gross, which is not how box office works. Distributors usually gets a little more than 50% of the earnings while the rest is made by the exhibitors (theaters). Distributors earn even less from the foreign box office, which is why despite the growing importance of international gross, N.American box office remains the most important.

Plus the budget is never presented with the added advertising cost, which is often the price of the movie itself. So yes, Rush did not do that great. It might break even but yah, not great.

I keep a running tab on Oscar prediction lists and in most cases it places higher up the list than Assange but not high enough to be a likely. I have not seen it so cannot give a personal opinion. I think for me I am just not interested enough in the topic but I still think Chris comes out of it OK.

I think we wait and see.They have just brought out a series of comics where Loki is sent on missions to save Asgard and does so in his usual manipulative and devious manner. The first one involves Loki and the Enchantress

People have to realize that although I love RDJ, he really screwed the other actors as far paychecks go for the first Avengers. I think when it came time to negotiate for the second that’s where all this animosity came from. RDJ try to help the second time around, but I think the damage has already been done.

Marvel isn’t exactly known for their integrity. Remember Terence Howard?
He wanted more money, so they replaced him. RDJ has said how pissed they were when he got so much for his backend deal. Even Chris Evans did a mini protest by not putting on as much weight for Captain America this last time around.

I’m not going to knock Chris when he’s already done three magazine covers and is currently filiming a movie right now, unlike Tom. And that’s not to shade Tom or anything, I’m just saying he has the time right now so he’s the only actor actively promoting the movie.

Marvel is notoriously stingy with its contracts, RDJ didn’t screw anyone out of anything. Remember, the movie alone made about a billion dollars, then think about all those toys and all that other merchandise. There’s money to go around, but you absolutely have to be irreplaceable a la RDJ to play hardball. And Thor isn’t exactly irreplaceable.

@Bridget- I didn’t mean RDJ was being a jerk about money, sorry if it came off that way. But just from his upfront salary alone all the other actors had to take major paycuts. Actors don’t get part of merchandise sales unless it’s in their contracts. There was plenty of money to go around, just not for the actors.

@marty: No offense taken, but thanks for making sure! But my point is was that RDJ’s salary holdout wasn’t taking money away that should have paid the other actors, rather Marvel is making tons of money, they just don’t want to pay anyone. They feel that exposure in their movies is payment enough, basically.

Also, Howard probably wasn’t your best example as he combined his desire for more money with being pretty difficult to work with. He’s well known for being a pain in the ass to work with- it’s why you don’t see him in many movies anymore.

@Eve: it’s an interesting question. What’s worse: for an actor to hold out for more money on a job that’s hopefully going to open up more opportunities, or for a corp entity like Marvel to expect their actors to work for a smaller amount of money for a project that will bring in an obscene amount of money? And I’m not being facetious here. Personally, I think it depends on how much of a raise Hemsworth asked for. Thor really was his big break, and even after all these appearances I don’t feel like the movies would be ruined without him.

Keep in mind though, Ironman was a win-win for both Marvel and RDJ. RDJ shot to the A list because of that movie and because of his performance and how well that movie did, it enabled them to go further with the Avengers franchise. What would have happened if Ironman flopped?
I can see why RDJ got the big bucks when the time came.

the first iron man terrance howard got PAID and rdj got jack. and rdj was rightfully pissed. when th was pissy and re-negotiating for more $, rdj went on vacay and turned off his phone. iron man was a hit b/c of rdj and he HAD TO PLAY HARDBALL. marvel wanted to screw him too. rdj earned every $$ marvel gave him $500 1st movie th 1mill.

It’s been my wet dream for him to do a comedy ever since I saw Thor 1 – further solidified how funny and sharp and quick with comebacks he was on the Avengers’ promo tour. He has really good timing and isnt afraid to be goofy. Would love to see him make the most of it.

Being a comic fan I’m disappointed. I’m sorry but Thor boosted him into stardom and now he’s treating it like a burden. I’m completely for a recast at this point for someone who actually cares about the long term fans of the comics and actually having the role.

It’s the kind of behavior you usually see a few years down the road. I just can’t imagine Harrison Ford – someone who is truly a good actor – acting like this during the Star Wars or Indiana Jones early years. CH kind of reminds me of actors who pretend they never did soaps.

Huh??? He comes off as a total a@# in this interview. His Cyber director is Michael Mann…the Michael Mann; I would have thought that working with a director of that calibre would be worth sucking up a few hours of computer instruction. Whatever! he is a meathead.

Someone is giving this guy bad advice. He hasn’t established himself enough to be a star without Thor. He doesn’t come across as intelligent so much as ungrateful.

And I’ve been a Hemsworth fan! It’s just unprofessional. Even if privately you find it distasteful, put on your big-boy undies and a smile and earn the millions you’re being paid. Complain to your wife and your agent or manager, sure. But don’t disrespect the filmmakers and your fans like that.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. They couldn’t just replace him at that point because he’d played “Thor” in at least two films (and fanboys could go apeshit about the continuity).

So he basically held the character hostage: he knew it wouldn’t be so easy to replace him after The Avengers success (not because there aren’t more talented actors, but because of the continuity crap). He bluffed, and won. So…congratulations to him, I guess? But that still makes him an unprofessional d*ck in my book.

But I have to point out something else you’ve said (upthread) regarding Chris Evans — his weight loss is probably a producers/director’s choice, rather than a protest of any kind. He closed his deal before everybody else, and it doesn’t look like there were any problems:

P.S.: I agree with you that HAMsworth has the upper hand right now. Unlike Norton (who starred in only one film), he CAN make demands. It’s just that…I hate this type of behaviour. I find it unprofessional, especially in his case: the only reason people know who he is now is because Marvel, contrary to almost everybody’s favourite for playing Thor (The Skarsgaard, I remember the internet wars about Thor’s casting), chose him.

P.P.S.: I really want to blame this all on Remora, but (for once) I don’t think that’s her doing.

The Chris Evans thing was something I heard about second hand, my brother use to work at Marvel and he still has friends there, so it may very well be untrue. I just heard that Chris E. really hated the eating/workout regime for the first CA he told them he didn’t want to go to those extremes this time around. Again, this is all just “talk”.

Ok, last comment (because I have to attend a class! I hate my life): Bridget said it everything on her reply to your comment upthread. Marvel is stingy with its contracts, so you have to be RDJ to play hardball.

My point: HAMsworth has the upper hand right now, but he’s no RDJ so they will replace him if (or when) they realize he became “too difficult”. Or maybe that’s exactly what he wants — to be let go.

I just hope Marvel doesn’t engage in a petty fight like what happened with Norton. If he (Hamsworth) becomes difficult to work with, I think he should be fired (not letting it drag on).

Eve – well I AM taking your comments personally…except you kinda have a point >.< You know I love him to death and would excuse A LOT, but I do wish that he'd make like Dan Radcliffe and be more humble and grateful and appreciative about the role that made him what he is, gave him everything, even if he does have some issues with the deal he's made.

Plus, unlike the Hogwarts trio, he made HIS 'deal w the devil' as a full-grown, industry-experienced adult.

PS – I dont buy the continuity argument. If they can go thru 3 Hulks, if they can resurrect Coulson, basically invalidating the most poignant moment in the entire franchise to date… Fanboys are stuck on character, not actors, and Hems was never the Marvel fan favorite.

What happened with The Hulk was not intended. They never meant to have three actors playing the role in less than ten years.

They relaunched the character back in 2008 (The Incredible Hulk) because of the poor reception Ang Lee’s version had. They replaced Bana (to cut any ties with that 2003 disaster, methinks) and hired Norton — they planned to keep Norton as Bruce Banner, but he, being the delightful control freak he’d always been, became a living hell to work with (and was ultimately fired — rightfully so, if you ask me).

Replacing Norton, so close to The Avengers production, was a huge risk (to say the least) and the man had played the character in just one film — let alone Hamsworth, who’s been “Thor” for three films (as of now).

P.S.: I know you hate my guts for spelling his name “HAMsworth”. I know. But if there’s any consolation, I’m also fully aware I’m paving my way to hell every time I post a comment here on CB .

Yeah but why is he ungraeful for saying he prefers non CGI films! A lot of actors agree and have publically stated as much. If Marvel really wanted to cut him they could have, I agree Thor really isn’t interesting and isn’t important to the Avengers plot. So the real question why haven’t they fired him?

Thor IS important to the Avengers plot. There are quite a few of his villains from his comics that come through and try to rip the Avengers to shreds as well as the rest of the Marvel universe.

From what I’ve read and heard about Chris and Thor are these things: He doesn’t want to do the eating and workouts in the way he has to in order to be Thor size. I know he’s stated before that he doesn’t mind it but he was still complaining which most would agree that he really did mind.

Apparently he also wanted more money for the role. RDJ was paid $50 million for Avengers (apparently though I’ve seen that number on numerous sites) and the rest were paid way under what they made for the movie. So it comes down to him wanting a pay increase. Apparently that’s an issue for many of the people that were in the Avengers as well.

Gonna add my two cents with Hulk! Ruffalo fit Banner to a T. He was able to convey the Jekyll-Hyde character that Bruce Banner really is. Norton was just too ragey and didn’t play the softer side of Banner the correct way. I was pleased with Marvel’s decision to go with Mark versus Edward. I was never able to believe Edward was actually Banner in the way Mark performs the role- but I think Edward is an EXCELLENT actor. He’s just got way too much of a diva like attitude. Chris should keep that in mind since they obviously aren’t afraid to recast. Fans will be upset if they do recast Thor but I promise you there are many, many, many fans (including myself) of the comics that are insulted he wants nothing to do with the role that boosted him into stardom world wide.

Oh, it wasn’t only that quote (or this particular interview, for that matter) that bothered me. It’s his overall behaviour…it almost looks like he’s going out of his way not to promote the movie.

@ Dommy Dearest:

Agree with everything you said about Ruffalo being a much better Banner than Norton. He fit the character in The Avengers perfectly (just like Bill Bixby did in the old series — which I adore to this day).

I disagree about Norton being an excellent actor though. I think he’s talented, that’s undeniable — but not as much as I used to.

I don’t think they’ll replace Thor, I think he justwon’t be in the next few movies, which would also solve that continuity problem. Honestly, I kind of think Marvel is going to wait Hemsworth out and see how his movie career goes. It’s entirely possible that things won’t work out and he’ll come back, like Vin Diesel with the Fast movies. And there are just SO MANY characters floating around in these movies with more being added. Someone’s going to have to be subtracted and Thor really is the most logical choice, as there simply isn’t that great of an arc for a demigod. He’s all-powerful!

Re: Hulk: they were such idiots to think Norton wouldn’t be a total PITA. What really threw them over the edge was when he took credit for writing the script. Most likely he did insist on re-writing stuff, but he must have really, really pissed off the powers that be AND the credited writers. They were so lucky that Ruffalo was not only perfect (seriously, don’t ever recast that role) but is a consummate professional.

And I get that it’s not fun for Hemsworth and Evans to have to get into Avenger shape… But boo freaking hoo! The movie industry insists that women stay in an unrealistic weight and shape ALL THE TIME.

Actually, I think HAMsworth is kind of funny. I mean, I would love for him to get a freaking EGOT (and, ok, I do think that he has some range but he should go toward comedy and away from drama), but…come on, whom am I kidding? Plus, have you noticed what I call him on here from time to time (and privately)? My #DumbBunny.

PS – you introduced me to the Evils of Remora, without which I wouldnt have been able to irrationally justify everything and anything Hemsworthian I dont care for. Thus you get a free pass for almost anything

Actually, Norton’s brawl with the writer (Zak Penn — also responsible for The Avengers script, along with Whedon) began even before The Incredible Hulk started shooting — he announced, during San Diego’s Comic Con in 2007, that he was co-writing the script, to Penn’s surprise). And it went on and on. I read everything about it (I could find). Norton was a prick of epic proportions.

Later on, and because it wasn’t edited the way he wanted, he refused to promote the movie. Finally, after TIH became a mild hit (I wouldn’t even call it that), he gave an interview to MTV, saying he didn’t know if he wanted to reprise his role as Bruce Banner and (I quote him) that “The minds at Marvel are sometimes opaque”. I’ve even discussed that on CB before (you can check the link I posted on this thread, by the way):

PS – I didnt like ANY of the Hulk actors, tho I must admit that Ruff did the best job and also that I absolutely hate Norton in everything but the Italian Job (bc duh – the bad guy). Also I dont care much for Evans (overall, tho Snowpiercer might change that) or ScarJo (in this). The rest may stay.

@ Eve: Hahahaha, well I don’t think he’s the best but I LOVED me some Fight Club.

I’d much rather see them drop Widow and bring in Ms Marvel! I’d settle for Wasp too however they aren’t putting Hank in the movie so that would be weird to have Wasp and no Ant-Man. NOT looking forward to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (Though she is my FAVVY). The way Joss described her powers makes me think they aren’t going to do Wanda justice AT ALL. House of M is one of my top 3 comics.

His acting on Home and Away was not that great. He can come across as quite wooden but that apart I think he was ideal for Thor and he seems to be very honest and pleasant in interviews I do sympathise re the bulking up and slimming down etc that seems to be coming more extreme. I think all these build up/slim down diets screw with your bodies metabolism. I think we are going to see more links to earlier diabestes which is on the increase anyway.

My last comment got lost but I don’t want to only ever just say my lustful intentions for this poor guy. I am okay with him playing it close to his chest, I like that he digs his heels in a bit about that; not for any reason other than it shows a little gumption.

I think Marvel’s going to give him the boot. He’s playing hardball in his negotiations, but Hemsworth and Thor aren’t exactly RDJ and Iron Man. There are just so many characters in the Marvel Universe, amd so many movies, will anyone really miss Thor? Aside from his arms, of course. The character isn’t all that interesting, and they can bring someone else in to have big muscles and be pretty.

Thor has a pretty big role in the Marvel universe. Many of his villains from his title comics tear through the Marvel Universe. There are several thousands but Thor stands the test of times. It’s only been with the movies has Iron Man been rocketed into the popularity he’s gotten. Stark was already a popular character but if they actually conveyed the asshole that he is from the comics and into the movies most people would think he was an asshole. From the way he treats Pepper to how he treats the rest of his teammates. The Avengers (movie) made it seem like it should have been billed ‘Iron Man and the Avengers’. But I understand Disney now owns Marvel so they put out the cookie cutter version that makes the heroes really seem like heroes- instead of being a person with extreme faults. Realistically.

But you’re entirely correct about one thing in particular: He isn’t RDJ. RDJ has the ability to play hard ball no matter what character he’s playing.

The part that’s interesting to me is the way they’re cherrypicking from the comics. *Note, not a big comic book person here, I just live with one* for example, the way they’re basically just taking the character of Ultron and creating a whole new story. At this point I think we can agree that Marvel comic books and Marvel movies are 2 entirely separate entities that share the same characters. Obviously all the movie Avengers are extremely established comic book characters with decades of backstories and villains to cull from, but movie-wise I’m sticking with my statement that Thor is the most expendable. They can use his villains without him, after all. And mind you, I think he’d eventually be back.

Ugh, don’t get me started on their decision for Ultron. That alone has made me lose faith in Marvel and Joss Whedon (and I am a HUGE Buffy fan). But I’m going to agree with you on the movies and the comics pretty much being two seperate things at this point. Which makes it entirely disappointing to me personally. I see it as a chance to inform the masses who aren’t aware of the comic history versus just creating a story and going with it. People have argued with other things such as True Blood that if you go by the books/blueprint then the people who have read them will be bored. However with the comic universe things like Civil War and Siege were AWESOME and I’d love to see it translated to film! I’m going to agree with you though now completely with your new comment. Thor is expendable movie wise, his legacy of comics can be some of the hardest to translate into movies so here here!

OMG love this site it never fails to make my day with the range of posts and witty intelligent comments, love all the peeps that post. Poor Chris he is such a fox I remember him from H&A wasnt expecting much from him in Thor but I thought he was really good, the Marvel bosses must be wrecking his head that he is not feeling the love for the franchise- thor is awesome- I hope he doesnt quit- looking forward to the next one hopefully Loki wont be killed off for good:D Would it really kill marvel to pay them all more? Boo to greedy Marvel bosses share the wealth dudes!! PS Any chance of some posts about Timothy Olyphont CB? Cheers:-)

I don’t know. I’m kind of tired of Chris. I used to love him since Star Trek and was wishing him to succeed. And was happy every time he did. But it’s clearly now that he thinks he is above Thor (like Thor is some Edward Callen joke for kids) and is in that phase when actors think they are beyond the role that made them famous. And are like: “That role is taking me down, I’m more talented on my own. I don’t want to play that role anymore. I’m big star now and can open any movie”.

He signed contract. Thor made him famous fight away. Without it he would never be this famous on his own. He would have few years and few hits to become really famous. Look how long Channing Tatum was going for his success.

It’s just… He is really completely absent from Thor promotion. There is a reason why people call it Lokie: The Dark Loki. Because Thor is nowhere to be found. And Chris needs to come down from his pedestal. Movie A-Lister road will be hard. And beside Thor he had only one box-office big hit – Snow White. And we all know that Charlize Theron saved that movie. And everyone went to see her and not Chris or Kristen. And his solo movie Rush just bombed few weeks ago. He is not that movie star that will open every movie for 30-40 millions.

All that fame can go away very quickly. He can easily become Chris Pine and Chris Evans. When people watch Star Trek and Captain America but ignore them in every other movie.

In his defense, he’s actually fulfilled the terms of his contract. Marvel is actually the party that screwed up – all those appearances at the end of other characters movies actually counted toward the # of movies in his contract. They accidentally burned through the actor’s contracted obligations, and that’s why people are re-negotiating for Avengers 2 – these are entirely new contracts.

One more thing – at this point Marvel just can not invite Thor for Avengers 2. There is no reason for him to be there at all. You know first time he showed up to stop Loki. Loki wont be there, so Thor can just stay home. And give Loki his own movie instead of Thor 3. And let Chris to try to make it on his own in movie biz, without free publicity every year.

We all saw how that worked for Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Megan Fox, Ronert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. Even stupid Shia LaBeauf went from A-List to B-list. No box-office hits with him in Lead Role. Somehow skipped in Brad Pitt movie as supporting. But we all know Brad will be the star.

I have said it before. Most of these people are big because of their Super Hero films. I think the true measure for all of them is what are they outside of those franchises. And yes I include RDJ in that too. Sherlock and Iron Man has really made his career. If you look at many other Big A listers some of them are quite successful and they never had those kinds of franchises. These moves are BIG and they make BIG money. Thing is they also mess up the actors career path. CH may not be a draw outside Thor. That is a tough thing to know and accept as an actor. Look at Johnny Depp. Outside the costume roles he doesn’t have a lot of hits. Not knocking them just making a point. CH and many of the others are on a unique road. Most other big named celebrity men made their names outside Franchises. They still have a big fanbase that has remained for many years. These guys are the big deal until some studio decides to Revamp the Franchise and bring in a younger face.

I’m always curious to see if those BIG Audiences are following these men outside those franchises. And the answer so far seems to be NO they are not.

It seems to follow the same vicious cycle. Someone is in a franchise, people get hot for him. Hollywood throws him in a bunch of boring artistic movies, usually of the depressing kind (true acting yo!). And then nobody goes to see them and the actor has flopped and disappears in a couple of years. Except for those who already established themselves 15+ years ago. New stars get recycled very quickly.
Marvel actors are lucky they have multiple movies to keep them afloat and bring them publicity.

This is typical behavior from Hemsworth. He was a real dick about Home & Away in his last year on the show (he could have left earlier, chose not to) and when he got Star Trek he was such an a prick to Australian interviewers who asked any questions or even mentioned H&A and Dancing With The Stars. Now he thinks he’s above Thor as well.

I kinda like this interview. It has the right tone for him: self-aware and down-to-earth. I don’t really see the part where he makes it obvious that promoting Thor is a chore. I think that’s just a conclusion we’re easily drawn to because Tom doesn’t seem to have a problem (or a scheduling conflict) with prancing across the world doing promos. But it does seem like there’s more to the business, in general, that he’d like to go on about but he (or the editor) have wisely left that out.

Also, I think that if he wants to start talking this way (y’know, kinda world-weary and tired of the BS), he’s going to have to rearrange his approach to his career and, well, start acting better.

It’s much too soon for him to be casting shade at Thor. (I think he shouldn’t cast any shade at all, but that’s my opinion.) He should be appreciative and happy that the franchise has led to these other opportunities. He just dropped a few pegs for me because it is possible to have had fun making Thor AND the more intellectual fodder, too! Shame on you, Chris.

But in another interview that Chris was in, he definitely likes playing Thor. Why so conflicting? As extracted: Hemsworth, a gentle giant who seems both grateful and gracious, talks passionately about Thor, with no winking and no weariness. It sounds as if he has genuine affection for him. “Yeah, definitely. Ah look, not only because of the opportunities it’s given me, but to spend that much time in a character’s head and not have affection for him or empathise with him is a lot harder of a task. Yeah, there are times when you get frustrated with things, limitations about it, but you’d drive yourself crazy. I couldn’t imagine a worse scenario than not enjoying this character, because it’s gonna consume a good 10 years of my life.”